Hospital: 'Poor decisions' by staff giving outsize pain meds

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) - An Ohio hospital system leader says a doctor's orders for potentially fatal doses of pain medicine given to at least 27 patients were carried out by what he calls "a small number of good people who made poor decisions."

The Columbus-area Mount Carmel Health System says it fired the intensive care doctor, put six pharmacists and 14 nurses on paid leave pending further review and reported its findings to authorities.

In an internal video message obtained by WBNS-TV , President and CEO Ed Lamb says employees ignored existing safeguards.

Mount Carmel has notified affected families of the deceased patients .

It says patients were near death when they received outsize drug dosages. But some families suing the hospital and Dr. William Husel (HYOO'-suhl) are questioning whether that's true.

Husel's lawyers aren't commenting.

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Information from: WBNS-TV, http://www.10tv.com/